The Time Argus reported today that Gov. Peter Shumlin plans to acquire another 16 acres and a house adjacent to the 27-acre plot he currently owns on Foster Road in East Montpelier.
Peter Hirschfeld, head of Vermont Press Bureau, broke the news last week about Shumlin’s original property transaction, made through a limited liability corporation and carried out in concert with four close friends and campaign contributors.
During another visit to the East Montpelier town clerk’s office on Tuesday, Hirschfeld discovered a mortgage deed documenting a purchase and sales agreement between Shumlin’s limited liability corporation, Foster Road LLC, and the owner of the 16-acre parcel, Jeremy Dodge.
Hirschfeld reported that Shumlin and Dodge haven’t finalized details of the sale, but in the meantime, Shumlin has given Dodge a $23,000 interest-free loan that will enable him to pay back taxes and therefore avoid a tax sale on the property. The property is valued at $223,700.
Shumlin expressed distaste for purchasing property through tax sales and told Hirschfeld that by directly negotiating the sale, Dodge will receive a better price and will be able to remain at his residence until next July without paying rent.
